ELVES are busy making toys and the reindeer are fuelling up on hay as Father Christmas prepares for his busiest night of the year. Sarah Dale has been steaming open the letters Teesside kids have sent to Santa.

DECORATING the Christmas tree with twinkling lights and shiny tinsel. Dressing up for the Nativity play and learning about the meaning of Christmas. Writing a letter to a strange man, you’ll never meet who lives at the North Pole. It’s all part of a typical kids’ Christmas on Teesside.

Mr Claus receives millions of imploring letters every December from children across the globe all promising they’ve been as good as gold over the past 12 months.

Up until this year, the US Postal Service dutifully replied to 150,000 of them sent to the town of North Pole, Alaska. But concerns over access to children’s addresses led to the hundreds of volunteers who regularly turn up for Operation Santa, which has been answering mail since 1954 on behalf of Father Christmas, led to the service being scrapped.

But we all know, Santa doesn’t rely on a normal postal service. So siblings Faith, seven, and Joshua, four, from Middlesbrough, are writing anyway.

They’ve been putting together their Santa letters with a little help from parents Rachel and James Ivison-Hinley.

Bicycles feature on both lists and sweets are another favourite.

See what Faith and Joshua said...

Dear Santa,

Joshua has been very good this year and he would be very pleased if he could receive the following:

Bike, Jelly beans, More sweets, Batman books, Kung Fu Panda playset.

Faith has also been good this year and she would like:

Bike, Horrid Henry books, Merlin books, Cupcake maker, Sweets

Thank you!

A GUITAR is top of four-year-old Corban Bruce’s Christmas list.

With a little help from his aunty, the Billingham boy wrote:

Dear Santa, If Mummy and Daddy send you enough money, please can you get me a guitar, a proper one like John’s (worship leader from church) and a stand to put it on. And a xylophone - and maybe a microphone, too. And some toys.

His brother, Micah, almost two, would like something from Padraig, the Gaelic version of Postman Pat.

Mum Lindsay who is married to Nathan, says: “I think top of mine and Nathan’s Christmas list would be to move house in the new year - although I have very specifically asked for a nice big bottle of Chanel perfume as well.

“Nathan is also hoping the generosity of our various grannies will contribute enough for him to get a new ipod.”

MINCE pies and milk will be left out for Santa in the Johnson home this Christmas Eve.

Dear Santa, I have been a good girl this year. Please bring me some presents on Christmas Eve. I will leave you a mince pie and some milk. The presents I would like are: baby bed, sweets, doll

Thank you, Love Grace (age 5)

SIX-YEAR-OLD Flynn Elliott from Skelton has already posted his letter to Father Christmas. Here’s what it says:

Dear Santa, I have been a good boy all year long. Please will you bring me Indiana Jones and Batman on Wii or DS and Star Wars The Force on DS, please? Bring my Mam something with mam written on. Love from Flynn x

Mum Jo’s wish list is a little more pragmatic.

She says: “I just wish everyone is healthy and happy in 2010 and that my friends who are miles away were closer as well.